A primary school closed today after the death of a pupil who may have contracted swine flu.

Tests were being carried out to determine whether the five-year-old boy died from the H1N1 virus. He died early yesterday at Milton Keynes hospital.

Emberton school, near Olney, Buckinghamshire, a village school for children between the ages of four and seven, placed a message on its website this morning informing parents of the temporary closure.

Dr Diane Gray, deputy director of public health for Milton Keynes, said: "My sympathies go out to his parents, family and friends. We don't yet know the cause of this boy's death. At this stage, there is no need to change normal behaviour ‑ you should continue to go to school, work and any social activities."

Steve Dunning, the school's headteacher, told the BBC the boy's death had come as a shock.